Since the Sing-a-Long as a whole will have you down in the works of this poem dealing with its narrative, themes and devices, these questions and exercises are designed to try to get you to step back a little and look at the poem from a broader or different perspective.
Diction
Diction describes the particular manner in which a writer or speaker communicates. Diction can be formal or informal, colloquial or elevated, high-brow or low-brow, etc. Whitman mixes diction with wild abandon throughout Song of Myself.
Identify examples of mixed diction within the poem.
Speculate on the reasons why Whitman chooses different diction when and where he does. What is he trying to achieve?
The Illustrated Song
Create a comic book (graphic narrative) of the poem. If you can't draw or don't want to draw, use clip art.
Vignettes
Several of the poem's sections set scenes or tell stories with identifiable characters. Find one of these vignettes and imagine you are a character within that story who has just read all of Song of Myself.
Write a letter to Whitman about your response to the poem.
Does This Song Have Sheet Music?
One question that emerges as we read Song of Myself has to do with the structure of the individual sections. The length of sections varies tremendously, with some (such as Section 33 ) gigantic and sprawling and others (such as Section 9 ) coming in at just a few dozen words. Does the variation in size across sections have a pattern? If so does the pattern relate to the overall flow of the poem's narrative or themes? Design a project that would demonstrate whether such a pattern exists and what the resulting pattern means in terms of the poem's overall narrative arc and themes.
So, What is the Grass?
This question, asked in Section 06 by a child, resonates throughout the poem. It harkens back to Section 01 and is referenced in Section 31, among other places.
It seems like an important question for the poem as a whole.
Critical Questions on Song of Myself
Since the Sing-a-Long as a whole will have you down in the works of this poem dealing with its narrative, themes and devices, these questions and exercises are designed to try to get you to step back a little and look at the poem from a broader or different perspective.
Diction
Diction describes the particular manner in which a writer or speaker communicates. Diction can be formal or informal, colloquial or elevated, high-brow or low-brow, etc. Whitman mixes diction with wild abandon throughout Song of Myself.The Illustrated Song
Create a comic book (graphic narrative) of the poem. If you can't draw or don't want to draw, use clip art.Vignettes
Several of the poem's sections set scenes or tell stories with identifiable characters. Find one of these vignettes and imagine you are a character within that story who has just read all of Song of Myself.Write a letter to Whitman about your response to the poem.
Does This Song Have Sheet Music?
One question that emerges as we read Song of Myself has to do with the structure of the individual sections. The length of sections varies tremendously, with some (such as Section 33 ) gigantic and sprawling and others (such as Section 9 ) coming in at just a few dozen words.Does the variation in size across sections have a pattern? If so does the pattern relate to the overall flow of the poem's narrative or themes?
Design a project that would demonstrate whether such a pattern exists and what the resulting pattern means in terms of the poem's overall narrative arc and themes.
So, What is the Grass?
This question, asked in Section 06 by a child, resonates throughout the poem. It harkens back to Section 01 and is referenced in Section 31, among other places.It seems like an important question for the poem as a whole.
- Is it important?
- Does it have an answer?
- What is that answer, if it does?
Identify grass and grass-related images and metaphors and explain how they support your thesis.Our Critical Approach
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